Open Access
Impact of star formation history on the measurement of star formation rates: do we have to reassess the cosmic star formation rate?
Médéric Boquien,Veronique Buat,V. Perret +2 more
- Vol. 29, pp 2224679
TLDR
In this paper, the authors investigate the impact of a variable star formation history on the measurement of the SFR of galaxies and find that the discrepancies between the true and estimated SFR may explain at least part of the tension between the integral of the star formation rate density and the stellar mass density at a given redshift.Abstract:
Context. Measuring star formation across the Universe is key to constrain models of galaxy formation and evolution. Yet, determining the SFR (star formation rate) of galaxies remains a challenge. Aims. In this paper we investigate in isolation the impact of a variable star formation history on the measurement of the SFR. Methods. We combine 23 state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of 1<z<2 galaxies on the main sequence with the cigale spectral energy distribution modelling code. This allows us to generate synthetic spectra every 1 Myr for each simulation, taking the stellar populations and the nebular emission into account. Using these spectra, we estimate the SFR from classical estimators which we compare with the true SFR we know from the simulations. Results. We find that except for the Lyman continuum, classical SFR estimators calibrated over 100 Myr overestimate the SFR from ~25% in the FUV band to ~65% in the U band. Such biases are due 1) to the contribution of stars living longer than 100 Myr, and 2) to variations of the SFR on timescales longer than a few tens of Myr. Rapid variations of the SFR increase the uncertainty on the determination of the instantaneous SFR but have no long term effect. Conclusions. The discrepancies between the true and estimated SFR may explain at least part of the tension between the integral of the star formation rate density and the stellar mass density at a given redshift. To reduce possible biases, we suggest to use SFR estimators calibrated over 1 Gyr rather than the usually adopted 100 Myr timescales.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
CIGALE: a python Code Investigating GALaxy Emission
Médéric Boquien,Denis Burgarella,Yannick Roehlly,V. Buat,Laure Ciesla,D. Corre,Akio K. Inoue,H. Salas +7 more
TL;DR: CIGALE as discussed by the authors is a tool for modeling the FUV to radio spectrum of galaxies and estimating their physical properties such as star formation rate, attenuation, dust luminosity, stellar mass, and many other physical quantities.
Journal ArticleDOI
Evolution of galaxy stellar masses and star formation rates in the EAGLE simulations
Michelle Furlong,Richard G. Bower,Tom Theuns,Tom Theuns,Joop Schaye,Robert A. Crain,Matthieu Schaller,C. Dalla Vecchia,Carlos S. Frenk,Ian G. McCarthy,John C. Helly,Adrian Jenkins,Y. M. Rosas-Guevara,Y. M. Rosas-Guevara +13 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the evolution of galaxy masses and star formation rates in the Evolution and Assembly of Galaxies and their Environment (EAGLE) simulations are investigated, and the authors demonstrate that the simulations reproduce the observed growth of the stellar mass density to within 20 per cent.
Journal ArticleDOI
Dust-Corrected Star Formation Rates of Galaxies. II. Combinations of Ultraviolet and Infrared Tracers
Cai-Na Hao,Robert C. Kennicutt,Robert C. Kennicutt,Benjamin D. Johnson,Daniela Calzetti,Daniel A. Dale,John Moustakas +6 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented new calibrations of far-ultraviolet (FUV) attenuation as derived from the total infrared to FUV luminosity ratio (IRX) and the FUV-NUV color.
Journal ArticleDOI
Constraining the properties of AGN host galaxies with spectral energy distribution modelling
Laure Ciesla,Vassilis Charmandaris,Antonis Georgakakis,E. Bernhard,Peter D. Mitchell,V. Buat,D. Elbaz,E. Lefloc’h,Cedric G. Lacey,Georgios E. Magdis,M. Xilouris +10 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the latest version of CIGALE, a fast state-of-the-art galaxy SED-fitting model relying on energy balance, to study the influence of an AGN in a self consistent manner in estimating both the star formation rate and stellar mass in galaxies, as well as to calculate the contribution of the AGN to the power output of the host.
Journal ArticleDOI
GALEX-SDSS-WISE Legacy Catalog (GSWLC): Star Formation Rates, Stellar Masses and Dust Attenuations of 700,000 Low-redshift Galaxies
Samir Salim,Janice C. Lee,Janice C. Lee,Steven Janowiecki,Elisabete da Cunha,Mark Dickinson,Médéric Boquien,Denis Burgarella,John J. Salzer,Stephane Charlot +9 more
TL;DR: The GALEX-SDSS-WISE Legacy Catalog (GSWLC) as mentioned in this paper is a catalog of SDFs derived from 22 micron WISE observations, including mid-IR SFRs.
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